Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer was asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer about leaving an empty lectern on stage to draw attention to Trump's absence.

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He said it's an "unwritten rule" that an empty podium would not be shown.

"No, I think that's pretty standard for debates," Spicer said. "You know whether or not they show up or not, or whether they happen to be offstage during a commercial break, that generally both sides have always had an unwritten rule saying that empty podiums will not be shown, and of course that will be the case this time as well.”